Illustrious Soul Silver
by tiggerkiddo
Summary: Seemingly unable to stop Team Rocket's plot, Ethan finds himself in a world where he technically never existed, the Game Corner dominates the landscape, there are hardly any Pokemon trainers and Team Rocket...is a respectable organization!
1. Chapter 1

Ethan and Wiggler left the strange world of Giratina and found themselves in...New Bark, of all places. He took a deep breath in and looked around. "Well...everything looks the same. It still smells the same but, I wonder what changed."

Wiggler let out a squeak and he laughed. "You're right. Let's see if Crystal would know anything."

"I-I-I'm Crystal," a meek voice said from behind. He turned to see her sat at the water's edge, her feet dangling in the water. She was dressed in that same silly outfit her mom had made for her, which made him smile. Only thing he could see that had changed was her hair, which was now brown. "Who are you?"

"Who am...you don't remember me?"

She looked up at him and shook her head. "Well...no. What's your name?"

"Uh, Ethan. I live in this town, we grew up together-" he said before stopping himself. The world had been changed but he hadn't been around when it changed. If that were so...perhaps he never existed?

"Ethan...Ethan. I'm sorry but it...doesn't ring a bell. It's strange though, I swear I heard that name once before."

He pursed his lips. "Oh, I see. Don't worry about it. I may have gotten you mixed up with someone else," he said with a laugh. Crystal nodded and looked away. Wow, the Crystal he knew would have never been this meek. She had always been kind of bossy and extroverted. She looked over again at him and blushed a little.

"Is...that your Pokemon?"

He nodded. "Yep, his name is Wiggler. He was my very first Pokemon. Do you have one?"

She shook her head and looked away. "I'm...terrible with Pokemon. They hate me so I just avoid them."

Well...this world was going to really take some getting used to! "Really? I don't think anyone can be terrible with Pokemon unless they're cruel to them. You don't seem like you'd be mean to them."

"H-h-how do you know? You act like you know me."

"Well I ahh...knew someone like you. They gave the same reasons as you did about why they didn't want to team up with a Pokemon. Saying Pokemon hated them and all that when it was really all in their head. Once they got one, their opinion changed."

She let out a sigh. This seemed like it was a waste of time but he would live with it. At the very least, it didn't appear like she would be helping him much in this new world. Wiggler let out a squeak and he glanced at him. "Hold your horses-"

"A-are you a trainer?"

"Yep, that's me. I plan to become the Pokemon Champion one day!"

"Oh there you are Crystal! I was wondering if you could-oh hello!"

Ethan turned to see Professor Elm walk up to them. He looked at Ethan and adjusted his glasses. "Hey."

"Have we...met?"

Ethan smiled. "I'm...pretty sure we haven't. My name is Ethan. I was here looking for an old friend but I think I got my towns mixed up."

Elm shook his head. "It's strange. I've got the feeling I've met you before. I don't know why, perhaps you lived here for a time?"

Ethan shrugged, deciding it best to shut up. "Well anyways, Crystal, I was hoping you could take this package I have to Cherrygrove. I'd do it myself but my work in the lab is going to take longer than I thought."

"I-I don't have a Pokemon though."

Ethan laughed. "Don't worry about it! I was just passing through but I can take it. It's just a quick walk over there."

"Oh I don't want to impose..."

"Don't worry about it. It's nothing. Besides, it's been awhile since we've been around here. It'll be fun to walk around and just take it all in."

Wiggler let out an amused squeak at that but he ignored him. Elm thought it over for a moment and nodded. "Okay, I can see that. Then could you take this package to the Pokemon Center there? Just explain it's from Professor Elm and they'll understand."

Ethan nodded and took the small package wrapped in a brown box. "No problem. It won't take me long at all."

Elm nodded and looked over at Crystal. "And if you ever need a Pokemon of your own, let me know. I might be able to help you out. Well I've got work to do so see you two later," he said before hurrying back to his lab. Ethan watched him leave.

"Well...I guess I better get-"

"I-I was wondering...are all trainers into...battling?"

"Huh? Oh no! There are plenty of trainers who don't battle. They might compete in the Pokeathelon, participate in contests or even just raise them for fun. I battle but not all the time."

"Contests?"

Wiggler let out an annoyed squeak at that and he smiled. "Yep, contests. You dress up in a real nice outfit and you show off your Pokemon. At least, I think that's what it's about. I was dragged into one of those once and I'll never do it again."

She smiled. "I-I love to dress up."

"Really? Well perhaps you should give them a shot. I mean you have to look your best and so do your Pokemon. It seems like it's really become popular as of late."

"R-really? I don't hear much about them. All you hear about is...umm the Game Corners. They're almost everywhere."

Ethan and Wiggler shared a look. "I know about the Game Corner in Goldenrod and also Celadon but...there are more?"

"Y-y-yea. Almost every city has one. They're all big and flashy and filled with machines. People go there to lose money or...maybe win some. It's what a lot of people do now."

Things had really changed while he was gone! "Well that doesn't sound like fun at all! I've tried some of those machines out but they're boring. Why would you want to be cooped up in a building like that all day?"

"Well...it's the thing to do. I wish...where do they do those contests?"

"I...forgot where they hold them. If I was into them, I'm sure I would have remembered," he said. He remembered them taking place in Celadon but since the world had changed, he wasn't sure if that were still the case.

She sighed. "T-that's too bad."

"Well...hey while I'm out, if I see where they are taking place, I'll let you know."

She blushed a bit. "Y-you'd do that?"

He shrugged. "Well if you don't want me to-"

"N-n-n-n-n-n-no, that's fine! Please, thank you! Will you come back and visit? I-I think I'd like to hear more."

"Yea."

He still wasn't sure what to think as he and Wiggler entered Cherrygrove. "I don't know about you Wiggler, but Crystal being meek and shy I can deal with. Crystal being all into fashion will take some getting used to. She always hated it!"

Wiggler let out a squeak and he nodded. "Yea, this world seems a bit weird. Game Corners in almost every city? People not interested in Pokemon but those dumb games? All I need next is for Jasmine to be some sort of bad guy and it'll be complete."

He took a look around and to his relief, Cherrygrove looked much the same as he remembered it. There didn't seem to be a garish and noisy Game Corner around so perhaps it was in the larger towns. He walked over to the Pokemon Center, just as the door opened and a familiar red head walked out. Wiggler let out a squeak and Silver turned around. He sneered at him. "What do you want?"

Ethan laughed. "I think he is being friendly."

Silver rolled his eyes. "Why do I care? I don't waste my time with weak Pokemon like that."

Ahhh so he had reverted to that old phase. Ethan smirked. "Weak Pokemon?"

"Yes, weak. I don't think it's so hard to understand. Wigglytuff are pretty frail and useless. They only are good for having a lot of stamina but who cares? If they can't take a hit, they're useless."

He grabbed a fishing pole leaned against the side of the building and leaned it on his shoulder. "Are you sure Wiggler is weak?"

Silver let out a sigh. "Yes, I know he is. You want me to prove it to you? I don't want to waste my time with weak trainers."

Ethan shook his head. "What is with you and weak trainers? Weak trainers, weak Pokemon...weak, weak weak. It's kind of tiring."

"I didn't ask for a judge."

Ethan laughed. "Well...I think you'd have a lot more potential if you stopped being so obsessed with strong Pokemon and just teaming up with whoever suits you the best."

Silver turned to face him. "Oh, really? Why should I even listen to some weak trainer?"

Wiggler let out another squeak and Ethan shrugged. Wiggler was right, this was going nowhere. It took Silver some time to get out of this phase and he wasn't going to change him in a few minutes. And they had that package to deliver. "Weak? Wiggler is a lot stronger than you think. He may have been weak when he was younger but he worked hard to become what he is today."

Silver shook his head. "So you wasted all that time training up a weak Pokemon when you could have used a strong Pokemon and saved yourself all that trouble?"

Ethan laughed. "I got to team with a Pokemon I liked."

"Liked? You act like it's some sort of pet. They're nothing more than tools."

Wiggler let out a squeak and Ethan smiled. "Tools, huh? Well you keep believing that."

"Right. And you still haven't convinced me that your Pokemon are strong-"

"Tell you what. I'll let you have a battle with Wiggler but I'm not going to participate. I have this package I have to deliver so I'll do that while you battle it out."

"You're crazy. How is your dumb Pokemon supposed to know what to do without-"

"Wiggler's smart. He knows how to battle without me shouting out commands. We've been through enough together."

Silver shook his head. "Well don't complain to me when you get back and your Pokemon fainted."

Ethan stepped into the Pokemon Center and the first thing he noticed was how empty the place seemed. He looked around, expecting to see a few trainers walking around the lobby or perhaps using the computers but instead he only saw an elderly man with his Geodude, sitting near the window. "Well this is odd," he said. He walked up to the counter and smiled at the attendant. "Hey, I have a package for you guys. It's from Professor Elm."

"Oh yes! We were expecting that today!"

He set it on the counter and nodded. "So...where is everyone? It's not like there is a Game Corner around to chew up everyone's time."

She sighed. "You're right about there not being a Game Corner but there once was one. It closed down a few months back but the damage was done."

"Damage?"

"People had given up spending time with Pokemon. They had been so invested in the Game Corner that when it closed down, they had forgot the wonderful times they had with their Pokemon. Now people just spend time...doing not much of anything to be honest."

He leaned against the desk. "Wow...that's kind of bad."

"There's talk about putting the Game Corner back in Cherrygrove but I hope not. It'd be nice if people would discover and fall in love with Pokemon again."

They heard what sounded like a commotion outside and he laughed. "Maybe I should go back out there."

"W-what is going on?"

"I left my trusted Pokemon out there to take on a trainer."

"By itself?"

Ethan nodded. "We've been through a lot together. He's been in so many battles, that he knows how to battle on his own now. Besides, my Pokemon seem to do better when I let them do their thing than try to direct them."

"That's...a bit refreshing to be honest. And your name is?"

He glanced at her and smiled. "My name is Ethan."

She nodded. "You seem like a pretty strong trainer, why haven't I heard any more about you? Since not as many people train their Pokemon to battle, it seems like it'd be hard for someone like you to slip through the cracks."

"Ahh...well I've been away, training. It's been some time since I've been in Johto and it seems like I missed quite a bit."

That seemed to satisfy her and it might work as a nice excuse the next time he got asked that, which would probably be all the time. He waved goodbye and stepped outside, in time to see Silver looking bewildered at Wiggler, who looked about the same as Ethan had left him. "So, how did it go?"

"I-I-I underestimated it, that's all! A lucky fight!"

Ethan shrugged. "If it was a lucky fight, perhaps you want another go?"

Silver grumbled. "No! I...you won't be so lucky next time! I'm going to go fish now."

Ethan watched him leave and looked at Wiggler. "I hope you weren't too tough on him. I don't want you to break his spirit or something."

Wiggler's squeak assured him no such thing happened. "Well that's good. If he's anything like the Silver of old, he is too competitive to give up."

Wiggler let out another squeak and he nodded. "Yea, I guess we should check out Olivine. As is, it's looking like it's going to be pretty tough for us to get any help."

Olivine was in a word...empty. They entered the center of town, expecting there to be some activity but to his annoyance, the streets were pretty barren. There were a few boats in the docks but there weren't any men loading or unloading them. In fact, he noticed quite a few wooden crates lying on the beach, where he could assume the sailors dumped them when no one came to pick up their stuff. He looked off to the side and saw a large Game Corner, buzzing with activity and about the only place that seemed lively. "I wonder where Jasmine is. I really hope she isn't."

Wiggler let out a squeak of agreement. He felt someone bump into him and turned around to see a young boy standing behind him. He had a head full of messy blond hair and wore a lime green shirt and a pair of worn blue jeans. He carried a Pokeball in his hand and noticed Wiggler. "Oh wow, is that a real Pokemon?"

"A real...Pokemon?" Ethan asked before laughing. He bent down to the boy's eye level. "Of course he's real! You've never seen a real Wigglytuff before?"

The boy shook his head. "I've...never knew there was a Pokemon like that," he said. He walked over to Wiggler and poked him a few times. Ethan tried not to laugh while Wiggler just played the patient part. "Wow, he's so soft!"

"He may feel soft but he's real tough. Don't let his appearance fool you."

The boy nodded. "Do you have anymore Pokemon?"

Ethan nodded. "Yea, I have a few more, like a Ludicolo, a Raichu, a Tauros and a Steelix-"

"You have a Steelix? Really?"

He nodded. "Yea, it was given to me by a friend. Why, have you seen one before?"

"Yea, Ms Jasmine has one! It's so big and shiny and it looks kind of mean but it's really kind. She always has it out when she's down by the beach."

He smiled. "Could you take me to her? I think I'd like to meet her? It seems like there don't seem to be a lot of trainers here."

The boy led him to the beach west of town, which led to the routes connecting Olivine to the Whirl Islands and beyond that, Cianwood. He expected to see a few swimmers in the water, those annoying and pesky trainers that made surfing a chore at times but perhaps he had been too optimistic as the waters were pretty barren. He noticed a large Steelix sleeping near the shoreline but where was Jasmine?

"Hey Cliff! Who's your friend?" A cheery voice said from behind. Ethan turned around to see Jasmine standing atop a rocky wall that overlooked the bay. Nothing about her appearance had changed, still adorned in a summer dress but what had happened to the meek and soft spoken Jasmine?

The boy waved his hand at her. "Oh hey Jasmine! This is Ethan and he's a trainer just like you! He wanted to meet you!"

Jasmine hopped down from the wall and walked over to them. She looked down at Cliff before looking at him. "You're a trainer, huh?"

"I don't look like one?"

Jasmine pursed her lips. "I don't know really. It's so rare to see trainers out and about that you...have to pinch yourself when you meet one."

He shook his head. "That's still crazy to hear. I guess the Game Corner has a stranglehold on everyone?"

Jasmine let out a sigh and looked past him. He turned around and stared out at the ocean. "Well...there are a couple of things but since the Game Corner is the main cause, we'll go with that. The problem with everyone being consumed by the Game Corner, all the training they could have put with their Pokemon is gone so the town is full of a bunch of inexperienced trainers," she said. She put her hands on her hips. "And this town has been having an issue with a bunch of pirates. They have a hideout somewhere nearby and often raid incoming ships and vessels."

Ethan nodded. "And since you're one of the few-"

She laughed, interrupting him. "Few?"

"Okay, only one who knows what she's doing, it makes things tough."

She smiled. "I may be tough but I'm only one trainer, up against a whole slew of pirates. I can maybe chase them off once in a while but they'll keep coming."

"I bet I could show them a thing or two!" Cliff said, holding out his Pokeball. Jasmine giggled and knelt next to him.

"I bet you can but you've only been training with that Staryu for a week. It still has time to grow and become strong but you don't want to tire it out so soon!"

Cliff looked a bit sad. "Y-yea but how am I going to become as strong as you if I don't take on stronger Pokemon?"

"Stronger Pokemon, yes but not ones who are really stronger than you. You'll only end up hurting your Pokemon by doing that."

Cliff frowned. "But...so many of the Pokemon out here are much stronger than my Staryu."

Ethan let them be, figuring he wasn't needed or might be intruding if he spoke up. He walked down to the water's edge and stared out across it. He could see several Seels jump in and out of the water but that was about the only Pokemon he expected to see. A few islands dotted the horizon and Wiggler let out a squeak. "Well, I'm just thinking. One of those islands is where the pirates are hiding. It's going to be tough trying to figure out which one is it. They wouldn't be so bold to just stick a big flag on it, announcing where they hid."

Wiggler let out another squeak and he frowned. "Why should they care about hiding? Well...I guess I see your point. If the police lack the strength and there aren't many strong trainers, I guess they could be that bold. Just...I don't want to go chasing after them. We need something to lure them out."

Wiggler let out another squeak. "And...then what? Well we get the truth out of them. They could tell us where the hideout is. And maybe show them that we mean business. That they can't just bully the people around here and get away with it."

Wiggler let out yet another squeak and he frowned. "I'm not sure this will help us return the world to normal. I'm working on that one. We have to get help though, we can't do it alone."

Of course Wiggler had another annoying squeak. He was too much of a realist at times. "Yea I know. I realize it's going to be tough to convince people that this world isn't the right one. I'm working on that one too! You're making me depressed over here and I hate that!"

He put his hands in his pockets and smiled. "Now dealing with these pirates. Now this could be fun. Ironic it started with us dealing with some pirates. Now we have to do it all over again! I wonder if they act like typical pirates and-"

Wiggler countered that with a few more squeaks and he shot a glare at him. "You're saying that's silly? Says you! I think it'd be real cool to run into some pirates who say arr. and have a funny bird on their shoulders. And then they could wear those large hats with the huge feather and...and..." he said as he trailed off when he noticed Jasmine standing nearby, a large smile on her face. "Ahhh...oh hey Jasmine!"

"You two are really close."

"Yea well...he was my very first Pokemon."

She nodded. "That's just like with me and-"

"Rusty?"

She folded her arms. "And just how do you know his name is Rusty? Did Cliff tell you?"

"Ahhh...well...it's just the kind of name I'd figure someone would pick for a Steelix, that's all. I guess."

"It's just...have we met before? I swear, it's the strangest feeling but it's like I know you from somewhere. And it's driving me up a wall!"

He laughed. "Ahhh well...I tend to travel around a lot so I'm sure we've met."

She shook her head. "No. I swear I know you and it wasn't as just passing acquaintances. Like we really knew each other but how would I be able to forget someone like that? It's so annoying!"

He would say but it'd just sound nuts so he kept quiet. "I don't think you need to worry about it. If we were close before, I'm sure it'd only be natural for us to become friends again...I think."

She laughed. "You're a bit goofy."

He turned away and rubbed the back of his head. "Well yea, you know...so, how should we deal with these pirates?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Come again?"

He stared out at the ocean. "Out there are some scurvy pirates, causing trouble for this town and incoming ships. You already said that you're outnumbered but I'm sure with my help, we can make some headway."

"Just the two of us?"

He laughed. "Of course! We'll just dwindle down their numbers, one by one!"

"That sounds like a great idea in theory but there are at least thirty pirates and two of us. Even doing it one by one, would take too much time. And they could just outlast us anyway."

"Well even if we can't defeat them, if we can at least show them that there are trainers here who can pose a threat to them, a very real threat, maybe that would drive them away at least. Show them that they can't just bully people around."

She laughed. "That seems a bit more reasonable than taking on a large gang of pirates."

They heard the sound of a horn and he could see a small boat moving toward the docks. It carried a few large wooden crates, stamped with the Team Rocket logo. He let out a gasp. "Team...Rocket?"

"Yes, what about them? I kind of wish Charon and his crew could stop being so concerned about the Game Corner and maybe help out. I guess since this town is smaller compared to-"

"Wait, wait...why would Team Rocket send people out to help? Isn't that the government's job?"

She looked at him with a confused look. "How long have you been away?"

He gave a nervous laugh. "I guess too long by the sounds of it!"

Jasmine brushed aside her hair. "Well they aren't the government but they have a lot of power. I think it's because of the Game Corner and Silph. Between those two, they control a good deal of the business in Kanto and Johto. Not all of it mind you but since the Game Corner is such a big interest, you get my point."

He nodded. "And they bought up Silph. Too bad most people aren't interested in battling-"

"Silph also runs a good deal of the power plants around here," she said and he frowned. Not only was Charon in charge of Team Rocket but they weren't even known as a bunch of criminals but as a legit company. This was even better than he imagined. Between this, knowing he was the only person who knew the world had been changed and the fact that he really didn't exist here...

"Hey...are you okay? You got all distant all of a sudden?"

Ethan looked at her again and smiled. "Oh, it's nothing! Haha, I was just trying to think."

"Oh, okay. Oh there's something else I should let you know about these pirates. The leader of the pirates has the powerful Kyogre under his control. That's yet another reason why they've been able to run around free and clear."

"Oh, Kyogre," Ethan said. It took a few moments for it to sink in before he looked back at her. "Kyogre? When did he get that Pokemon?"

Jasmine shrugged. "Hey, your guess is as good as mine. I've known a trainer or two who tried to deal with him but got crushed."

Wiggler let out a series of squeaks and Ethan looked down at him. "What was that Wigg?"

Wiggler spoke again and he nodded. Jasmine laughed. "What is he talking about?"

Ethan smiled. "Well when you mentioned that this pirate guy has a legendary Pokemon, Wiggler reminded me that we could probably...fight fire with fire."

She put a hand on her hip. "You also have a legendary Pokemon?"

He shook his head. "Well not really but I know where I can find one."


	2. The Temptation of the Simple

The two of them found their selves back in New Bark Town, on the edge of town where they first stepped out the portal. He walked around in a circle but there didn't seem to be any evidence where the portal lay. Wiggler let out a squeak and he nodded. "Yea, I know. I'm not sure how we'll locate the portal. I was hoping-"

Before he could finish, he heard what sounded like a gurgling sound and looked at the water's edge. A small whirlpool had formed in the water except the center of the whirlpool was completely black. A loud roar could be heard from the center of the whirlpool and it sounded just like Giratina. "Or maybe not."

Wiggler let out a worried squeak and looked over at him. "Huh? What's to be worried about? I think it's a portal back to that strange world."

Wiggler continued to voice his concern but Ethan waved him off. "Well what else could the portal lead to? Didn't you hear that roar? Stop being such a wuss! It'll be fine!"

He took a deep breath and jumped into the whirlpool, falling through the water and landing on a piece of land in the Distortion World. As he stood up, he could see the legendary Giratina floating before him. He could hear Wiggler let out a long squeak as he landed behind him. Ethan looked back at him and smiled. "Well, you know what to do."

Wiggler let out an annoyed squeak as he walked forward to speak with Giratina. Ethan opted to take a look at the island they stood on. It seemed to be the only piece of land floating around, with a few palm trees at the northwest corner though the leaves were dark purple and pointing upwards. A nearby waterfall flowed upwards as well, just another instant of the Distortion World's wacky physics at play. It'd be a bit wild to bring someone else here...what would Jasmine or Crystal think about this world?

He was a bit lost in his thoughts that he didn't realize Wiggler had been squeaking something at him until the Pokemon walked over and smacked his leg. "Ow! Sorry about that!"

He looked down at Wiggler, who explained the situation. "So...it wants to play a game?"

Wiggler let out a squeak and Ethan folded his arms. "A game of tag or hide and seek? Well...if we want to get on its good side, sure."

That earned him a very annoyed squeak from Wiggler. Ethan laughed it off and folded his arms. "Well why not. It's not like we're in a terrible hurry, right? We're gonna need its help anyway. And it seems real lonely."

Wiggler let out a confused squeak at that one. "Well...would you want to be stuck in a crazy world like this, alone with no one to talk to or even spend time with?"

That seemed to satisfy the Pokemon. "Well, now that's settled, let it know we're willing to play a game."

Wiggler walked back over to Giratina and spoke with the Pokemon. Ethan began to walk over but as he did, Giratina floated back before vanishing into thin air, followed by a large amount of floating islands to appear around them. He looked around a bit at their new surroundings than looked down at Wiggler. "So what's up? What game are we playing?"

Wiggler let out a squeak and he smiled. "So it wants to play hide and seek? Well okay but this is gonna be tough! You'll help me out, right?"

Wiggler shook his head and Ethan frowned. It let out a few squeaks for an explanation and he nodded. "So you can't participate because it'd be too easy for me? Fine fine, we'll play by its rules."

To his dismay, Giratina proved to be very good at not being found. He searched every single piece of land like a comb but to his dismay, nothing. He sat down on a floating rock and folded his arms. It didn't help that since it was a ghost, he probably walked right through it without noticing. "Well I can't see it of course so how else will I be able to locate it. If I only had Wiggler to help out."

He looked over and could see Wiggler lied out on the leaf of a large plant, lounging about as if he was sunbathing, except there wasn't any sunlight around. He took out his Pokedex and began to flip through the entries for ghost Pokemon. If anything, one of the entries might show a little light on the situation. He came across the entry for Gengar and something caught his attention. "If you feel a chill, a Gengar might be around-I wonder if that might apply to other ghosts?"

He closed the Pokedex and put it away. "Well, it's worth a shot. Now where did I pass by a spot where I felt a chill?"

He thought over it for a bit before it came to him. He smiled and hurried over to one of the smaller islands, home to a few discolored palm trees and a small pond. It didn't provided anywhere for Giratina to hide which is why he had only took a few steps on it before turning away but remembered getting a chill as he entered. He took a few steps over the large gap that separated the island from the closest ones and looked down. Far below, he could see large ball of purple fire, which seemed to serve as the only light for this creepy world. Yet, he could barely feel the warmth of it. It was warm here but seemed the warmth came from something else. "This place is so wacky. I really need to bring someone else here."

He stepped onto the island and the chill he had felt before, came over him again. He nodded before stepping back. "Okay Giratina, I know you're there! Show yourself!"

A loud roar could be heard and a moment later, the legendary ghost appeared before him. Ethan smiled and folded his arms. "Ha, nice try! You had me there for a bit but I figured you out eventually!"

Giratina floated in front of him but he was unsure if it were happy, annoyed, frustrated or...well if it felt anything! He turned to see Wiggler join him and he looked down at him. "Hey Wigg, can you see if it's happy or not? I'm really have trouble figuring it out."

Wiggler looked at him and gave a squeak. "Oh, it is happy? Well that's good to know. Does it want to play aga-"

Wiggler's loud squeak killed that thought. Ethan laughed before rubbing the back of his head. "Okay okay, scrap that idea. Well, will it help us if we need its help?"

Wiggler turned to speak with Giratina, a conversation that lasted only a few minutes, to his relief. "So as long as we're willing to come back and play with it, it'll help us out? That doesn't seem like a bad tradeoff-"

Again Wiggler interrupted him with his own comment. "Oh stop whining. It's not that bad. We just have to come back every so often and play a game with it. I don't see why that's so hard."

A portal opened up nearby and Ethan began to walk toward it. He noticed that Giratina seemed to be staring at the portal, perhaps a bit sad that its playmates had to leave? He turned to look at it and smiled. "Hey don't be so glum. We'll be back to play another game! I pro-"

Before he could finish, Wiggler let out a concerned squeak. "Huh, what about the portal? Didn't Giratina open it? Isn't that why it appeared?"

According to Wiggler, it hadn't. He looked over at Giratina, who drew closer to the portal and stared at it with its pair of beady red eyes. He folded his arms. "So...then why did it appear? Is someone else trying to enter the Distortion World?"

He took a few steps toward the portal but managed to trip over some rocks and stumbled forward. He fell into the portal, tumbling head over heels before landing...somewhere. It took his eyes a few minutes to adjust before he noticed he stood in the room where the Pokemon Champion sat, awaiting any potential challengers. He looked over at the chair, not sure who to expect to be in it and heard someone clear their throat. A young man stepped from behind the chair, bearing a head of short silvery hair that shined in the light. He wore a long dark overcoat which he had buttoned up and a pair of black loafers. He wore a pair sunglasses on his head, which he pulled on over his eyes. "Oh hey, are you the Pokemon Champion?"

The man laughed. "Me? Nope. You are."

Ethan laughed. "Me, the Pokemon Champ? You have to be kidding, I haven't even won the title yet!"

The man nodded. "It's true, you haven't yet but trust me, in this world? You'd steamroll the competition. With your unconventional team, no one would be able to deal with it. Their only chance would be using a team of legendary Pokemon and those are banned."

Ethan smirked, just as he heard Wiggler let out a squeak from behind. He looked over at him and smirked. "You hear that? He says that I would become Champ with ease here."

Wiggler let out a yawn and he frowned. "Well don't get too excited there."

Wiggler responded with a few squeaks of its own. "Well...I guess you bring up a good point," he said before turning to the man. "Is that really it? I'd become Pokemon Champion and-"

The man chuckled. "Of course not. That's just one of the potential things that you could accomplish. Do you want me to show you? It's not like you're gonna be having any challengers soon."

"Isn't that because not many people battle now?"

The man stroked his chin. "Well after you became Pokemon Champion, putting an end to Gerald's long reign, other trainers became interested in competing again."

Ethan's eyes grew wide. "Gerald? He was Champion?"

"Yep. He and his Salamence had crushed the spirit of any willing challenger for awhile. Even the trainers who were smart and trained Pokemon that could counter the dragon were still defeated. Since everyone saw him as unbeatable, trainers lost interest. And with the Game Corner proving to be a more attractive option...well there you go."

Wiggler let out a squeak and he nodded. "That sure sounds like Gerald all right. So then what happened to Gerald after I beat him?"

"He seemed relieved and just left. Charon wasn't real happy about his Champion being defeated like that but-"

"And what about Team Rocket?"

"Oh, they're still around of course. You can't expect the world to become a perfect utopia just because you became the Champion but...things are looking up."

He followed the man through the doorway and they emerged in the middle of the Battle Frontier. The place was bustling with activity, something he didn't really expect. They stood on some steps to one of the facilities of the Frontier and he could see a decent sized line of people at the entrance. Wiggler let out a squeak of surprise and he had to agree. "You're right, this is the first time I've seen this many people interested in the Battle Frontier."

"H-h-hey, are you him?"

Ethan turned to see a young boy standing nearby, along with his Pokemon, a Clefable. Ethan rubbed the back of his head and laughed. "Uh, what do you mean?"

"The Champion! Aren't you supposed to be the Champion?"

He waved the boy off. "Oh me? Haha, not really. I get that a lot actually. We just look a bit similar and I use some of the same Pokemon as him but-"

"Are you just saying that because you don't want to get swamped with people?"

"Well...uh...I guess you could say that."

The boy nodded. "Hah, I was right! So what are you doing way out here? Shouldn't you be back at the League...sitting in your chair and-"

"That's boring. Besides I can't be there all the time! Me and my Pokemon would go nuts. Actually I'm here, scouting out my competition."

The boy's eyes grew wide. "You mean-"

"Well as the Champion, I'm always on the lookout for challengers. I want to see who are the up and coming trainers, hoping to find the ones out to take my crown, that way I can prepare for them."

"Wow, you're serious about it! That's so cool! I think it's really cool how you have such a crazy team. Who knew some of those Pokemon could be so tough? I mean they look so...ordinary."

Ethan looked down at Wiggler. "That's the fun of it. You can choose any Pokemon you want and succeed with them. You aren't restricted by a few choices and with so many Pokemon to choose from."

"You're right. That's why I chose Clefable. I at first thought I had to use one of those super strong Pokemon to get anywhere but after seeing you sweep through the entire Elite Four and Gerald, I decided to stick with her and I'm glad I did!"

"Well then I hope I see you visit the Pokemon League one day, as a challenger," Ethan said. The boy nodded.

"You bet I will! I'm gonna take your spot as Champion, just you watch!"

Kind of reminded Ethan of himself when he was younger. "Well, I like my spot so you'll have your work cut out for you."

"Well...I need to go do some training but it was nice talking to you!"

He watched the kid leave and he smiled. "Isn't it nice to have a bunch of people looking up to you?"

Ethan turned to see the man standing nearby, having appeared out of nowhere. Or perhaps he had just been standing in the background. "Well, I kind of had that thing before-"

"You mean back when you were Mr. Second Place? Wasn't that because that was more out of pity? Everyone felt so sorry for you because while you were a very good trainer in your own right, there was always someone better, usually Crystal."

Wiggler let out a squeak of surprise and Ethan could only share that sentiment. "H-how do you know that? I thought I was the only one who remembered the world before it got changed."

The man laughed. "Trust me, you aren't the only one. It's just a very select few who know about the previous world."

"Then perhaps you know how I can change it back-"

"Are you sure you want to even do that?"

Ethan looked at Wiggler and laughed. "Of course I want to change things back. This isn't my world...I don't even exist here! Not a real fun world to be in if you ask me."

"Well first off, do you think things will just magically go back to normal after the world has already been altered once? Attempting such a drastic change again, so soon after the first one would..." he began to say before looking distant, staring off into space. Ethan and Wiggler shared a look. "Perhaps you would like to see the potential downfalls of what would happen?"

"Sure, fine. I don't really understand how you can do all of this though."

The man chuckled, not the most reassuring expression he had hoped for. They followed the man through the door of one of the Battle Frontier Facilities and they emerged in Goldenrod City. He took a look around the city but by all appearances, things looked the same. He looked over at the man and frowned. "So what's changed?"

"Well the events leading up to the confrontation at Mount Coronet were about the same but since the world wasn't altered, the battle between Charon and Cyrus took precedent, even while Dialgia and Palkia were no longer under control and ensued in their own battle."

"So couldn't Arceus step in and stop them?"

"Arceus departed. Giratina couldn't oppose both of the the two legendary Pokemon so it stayed in its own dimension. You were presumed dead because you had been snatched by Giratina and since you never got out-"

Wiggler let out a squeak. "I...what? I was stuck in the Distortion World?"

The man shrugged. "I'm not sure of the reasons why but you were stuck in the Distortion World. After everything died down, the two legendary Pokemon returned to their own dimensions after being calmed down but the rest of Team Rocket got away, probably to recover from their defeat and plan for the next big thing."

Ethan frowned. "I don't get it. I'd change the world back and somehow I'm still not apart of it!"

He shook his head. "Oh you got out eventually but by then, many years had passed. Time passes by much slower in the Distortion World as opposed to the real world so when you finally got out, most of your friends and family were gone."

"I still don't get why I was stuck in there. Why couldn't Giratina open a portal to somewhere else?"

The man sighed. "I...truly think it's because it was lonely. Seeing as what was going on in Mount Coronet, Giratina probably didn't feel right about dumping you in a world that might go to hell...so opted to keep you safe."

Ethan let out a grumble. "You did say potential. So some of this stuff may not happen, right?"

He nodded. "Yes potential but are you interested in the potential consequences of changing the world again? After the world went under such drastic changes the first time? You change it again and then you might become displeased with how things were. So then you try to change it again to fix what went wrong but in the meantime, cause more issues. It's just too much of a bother."

He stepped into a nearby building and Ethan followed him. They emerged back in Olivine City, near the docks. Ethan took a deep breath in and sighed. "Now this is more like it. Are we back to the regular world or are we still in-"

"Ethan, Ethan!" Cliff yelled. Ethan turned to see the young boy running up along the beach, followed by another of his Pokemon, a Wingull. The Wingull carried a small fish in its bill, a pleased look on its face. "There you are, I've been looking all morning for you! Where did you go?"

"Oh, I've been a bit busy, sorry. What's up?"

"Remember? We were supposed to travel out to Cianwood? I wanted to go visit the Safari Zone since you said there were some new Pokemon that had appeared there."

Ethan laughed. "Oh yea, sorry about that! What Pokemon were you interested in finding?"

Cliff folded his arms. "Well, I think I'd like to add a plant Pokemon to my party so I was hoping to catch a Cacnea there."

Ethan nodded. "A Cacnea? No problem, they aren't super hard to catch so we should be able to get one for you."

"That sounds great! Let me just take some of these extra Pokemon I have to the Center and I'll be right back!"

He hurried away and Ethan watched him leave. He folded his arms and felt someone touch his side, causing him to wince. Wiggler let out an amused squeak but he didn't have time to shoot him a look as the person spoke up. "You had Cliff worried sick. He thought something had honestly happened to you."

Jasmine stepped in front of him and gave a quick smile. "Oh, well something came up that I had to take care of. I didn't mean to be gone for so long. Are you...coming along?"

She laughed and winked at him. "It's supposed to be a boys only thing. Besides, we had something planned this evening anyways."

"Ahh yes, you're right," he said, mustering all the effort he could not to act shocked at this. He looked over at Wiggler, who looked just as shocked.

"So what Pokemon are you guys going to catch?"

"Well, Cliff said he was interested in a grass Pokemon so we're going to try out luck with Cacnea."

She laughed and brushed back her hair. "It looks like he's serious about trying to make a team of Pokemon."

"Perhaps he'll train enough to take me on."

She laughed again and he gave her a curious look. "I don't think he'd like that."

"Really?"

She smiled at him. "He told me not to tell you this because it's a bit embarrassing and all, especially since you really enjoy it but he would like you to lose the title."

Ethan and Wiggler shared a look. "Lose the title of Champion? Why? It's something I've strived for...for awhile! Why would I just throw it away?"

Jasmine nodded. "I know, I know. That's what I tried to tell him but he insists he would love for you to lose the title. He said perhaps that'd give you more time to visit Olivine, instead of being tied up with official Pokemon League business."

"Wow."

"That's what I said. I guess I see his point but it's selfish. You've strove to become the Champion all your life. You shouldn't have to just throw that away. You get more than enough time off too."

"Yea..."

"Well it seems like he's on his way back so I'll take my leave. Have fun!"

Ethan watched her leave and heard the man speak up again. "Seems like quite the nice place. Not only did you become Champion, beloved by all but you got the girl and have a loving follower. All this, all of this, so long as you leave this world alone."

Wiggler let out a concerned squeak but Ethan just ignored him. It was a tempting offer, a real tempting offer. While it wasn't really his world, he could get used to it. He'd be free from his curse of being always second but the fact that the guy mentioned that all of this could potentially happen stuck with him. Perhaps none of this would really occur or maybe he was just pulling his leg. "I'll...have to really think about it."

The man smiled. "Take all the time you need. I suppose we should be getting back."

He finally stepped into New Bark Town and let out a yawn. "That was quite a trip, huh? Playing hide and seek with Giratina in that crazy world and then having that guy show us around, trying to show us what happens if we do this or that."

Wiggler let out a squeak of annoyance and Ethan nodded. "I'm with you. I've kind of had enough fun for one day but I guess we still need to get back to Olivine and explain everything to Jasmine."

Wiggler let out a yawn and looked at him. It let out a few squeaks and he raised an eyebrow. "You actually want to back into your ball to rest? Really?"

Wiggler nodded and he smiled. This was a first. He took out the Pokeball that Wiggler had came with but someone else interrupted them first. "Oh hey! Hey Ethan!"

He looked up to see Crystal run up, followed by a Chikorita. Crystal's face seemed to sparkle in the light, as if she had dumped a whole jar of sparkles on her face. Either that or he was imagining things. She wore a large white tee shirt styled like a dress that came down to her thighs with a red and teal print on the front. He couldn't make out what it was but it too seemed to sparkle. She wore some white tennis shoes with red and teal striped shoelaces and carried a small black purse on her shoulder. "Oh hey Crys-"

"Please call me Lyra."

He and Wiggler shared a look and he shrugged. "Okay, no problem-"

"I-I was wondering where you went. You passed through town a week ago and disappeared-"

"A week? It hasn't been that long. I was only gone a few hours, right Wiggler?"

Wiggler nodded, sharing his confused expression. Lyra shrugged. "I'm honest. You passed through a week ago and then vanished. And a week later, you reappear. Where did you go to anyways?"

"I...was just visiting a legendary Pokemon. It lives in a different world from ours."

Her mouth fell open. "Oh...so that's why you just vanished! You were going into another world! That's so cool! What kind of Pokemon did you find? Was it big and colorful with like rainbow feathers? Did it let out a bright and cheery cry? Did it sparkle in the light?"

"Uh...well no. It was a large insect like Pokemon that was mainly black and gray."

She winced. "That sounds so boring. Not the insect part but the colors."

He didn't realize the colors of a Pokemon were such a big deal. He and Wiggler exchanged another look. "So...Lyra, you finally got a Pokemon of your own?"

She winked. "Yep. I remembered what you said about Contests and I thought if that can help me expand my brand and if I have a cute Pokemon with me, it'll be all for the better! Don't you like it?"

She did a little twirl and he scratched the back of his head. What was he supposed to say? The truth? Or just swallow his pride and say something nice? "Ahh...well it's real pretty...and sparkly."

She nodded. "Of course it sparkles! I love them and besides, if I want to distinguish my brand from everything else, I need to give it pizzazz, the razzmatazz and that jazz! Don't you see where I'm getting at? I don't want to go for the same old stuffy and boring outfits that everyone else. Like your outfit for example-"

"Huh? What's wrong with my outfit? I like it!"

She folded her arms and shook her head like a parent dealing with a mischievous kid. "It's so bland and boring. It needs more colors...and sparkles."

He shook his head. "That wouldn't look good on me at all. I'd just get funny looks. Maybe it work for girls but not guys."

She pursed her lips. "I see. Are you sure about that?"

"I'm positive. Guys don't like real colorful or...sparkly clothes. We like to keep things simple, trust me."

"Well...since you're a guy, I'll defer to you for now. I'm sure I'll come up with an outfit that will wow every guy out there! Oh and I have the perfect accessory for your Wigglytuff. What's her name again?"

"His name is Wiggler."

She blushed a bit. "Oh it's a boy. I thought they were all girls. Well it'll look good on him either way," she said as she pulled out a large bow from her purse. It was light blue and sparkled in the sunlight, bright enough that you could get blinded by it. Wiggler let out a squeak of surprise. She held it out toward him. "Here, let me put it on him."

Wiggler let out another squeak and scurried away. Ethan watched him leave and heard Lyra sigh. "I don't think he'll go for it."

"But he's a Wigglytuff! They're all supposed to look cute! I mean he's cute as is but everyone knows that they have to be the cutest things around!"

He shook his head. "I know they are supposed to be cute but Wiggler doesn't want to be cute! He wants to be tough and strong and cool! Cute is too boring."

"W-well remember how you were saying that you wanted your brand to be unique? How it needed to have pizzazz, razzmatazz and all that jazz? How it need to be different from all those other brands?"

She nodded with a smile. "Yes, exactly!"

"Well this is one way how Wiggler distinguishes himself from all the other Wigglytuff. By default, everyone assumes Wigglytuff want to be cute and...lovable. Well he didn't want any of that. And as one of the rare male Wigglytuff, he felt he had the chance to be even more unique. Do you really think of Wigglytuff as being tough Pokemon?"

She pursed her lips as she thought it over. He turned and noticed Wiggler rejoin them, probably confident that she wouldn't put that bow on him again. "Nope."

"And he wanted to show that Wigglytuff can be just as tough as a lot of other Pokemon. That you don't need one of the dragons or traditionally strong Pokemon to get by but that you can team up with any Pokemon of your choosing."

"That's...very...inspirational."

"I wouldn't put it that way."

She shook her head. "I-I-I think I see your point. I'll have to come up with an accessory that maximizes his toughness!"

Maybe she didn't get it after all. Wiggler let out a squeak of resignation and Ethan let out a sigh himself. Perhaps it wouldn't be too outrageous. "Well-"

"I've never designed something that would emphasize a Pokemon's toughness so it'll be a good experience for me! You watch, I'll have one whipped up in a flash."

"You...go do that. We need to return to Olivine."

"Olivine? Are you sure about that?"

He looked at her and frowned. "What do you mean?"

She spread out her arms. "There's this really really big storm that just hit Olivine and the nearby coastlines!"

"A hurricane?"

She shook her head. "No, it isn't that bad but it's making it real tough for ships and stuff to come in. It probably won't be gone for several more days at the least."

Ethan looked over at Wiggler. That meant those pirates couldn't cause any more trouble. A perfect chance to work out an even better plan to deal with them. "I see. Well I guess we'll just have to wait then. I know this sounds odd but do you know of anything strange or criminal going on?"

She gave him an odd look and giggled. "Oh so are you going around, fixing things?"

"Well...something like that."

She tapped her cheek and then her eyes lit up. "Oh yea, that reminds me of something! You know about Celadon?"

"Sure but what about it?"

She folded her arms. "Well the problem is that you can buy flowers and clothing material from there but as of late, I haven't been able to! Something about a factory that had been built there or something."

He rubbed the back of his head. "Well there's not much I can do about that."

"But they said there are so many Muk and Grimer around! It's disgusting and yet no one can do a thing about it! They're all scared. How am I supposed to come up with more clothing-"

"I'll check it out," he said.


	3. Love Potion Lunacy!

He remembered Celadon City being a much brighter and cheerful looking place but now? Not so much. The trees that surrounded the city bore few leaves, the bark looking twisted and discolored. He knocked on a couple of them and noticed how hollow they sounded. Dirt fell from the branches when he tapped them again and a few leaves fluttered to the ground. Taking a quick look around town, the gardens that once dotted the area had also died off, replaced by large thick weeds. Amongst the weeds, he could see a few Bellsprouts scattered around, not phased at all by the terrible conditions. "She wasn't kidding. Celadon looks awful."

He took in a deep breath and winced. "Smells awful too! What did they do to this place?"

He heard Wiggler let out a squeak and turned to see one of the various ponds in the city, except it was filled to the brim with a soupy and discolored liquid. Flies buzzed around it and every so often, the head of a Grimer would appear, staring at any passerby before vanishing back into the muck. Wiggler looked at him and frowned. "No kidding, man! This place has become a dump! Let's go find Erika, perhaps she can tell us what happened."

They hurried over to the Gym building but as he reached for the door, he took notice of the sign and stopped in his tracks. Wiggler let out a squeak, wondering what was up but he ignored him. "Celadon City Gym, closed down until a new gym leader can be found," he said, reading aloud what the notice said. He stepped back and stared at the building before walking up to the door and peeking inside. With the lights out, he couldn't see much of anything and soon stepped away. "Closed, well that's great."

Wiggler let out an annoyed squeak and he nodded. "Yep, this is just going to make things a bit tougher."

"Well well, are you a trainer?"

Ethan turned to see an older man man walk up. He recognized him as the perverted old man who did nothing else but stare into the gym windows at all the pretty girls that made up the gym. Every so often, one of them would come out and chase him off, declaring the gym a boy and man free zone. He seemed to be one of the select few guys that was allowed when not competing for a badge. "You could say that, I was trying to challenge all the gym leaders in Kanto and Johto but it seems I picked a bad time."

The old man chuckled. "No one really battles anymore so I'm surprised there is someone like you out there. It seems the few strong trainers are with Team Rocket now."

"Not me at least. Could you tell me where Erika is?"

"Oh, her? Well she used to be the gym leader here but she made the authorities nervous with her obsession with perfumes and the terrible and hilarious side effects. They didn't think someone like that should be a gym leader so they booted her out. She manages some shop where she sells perfumes and flower arrangements but I'd stay away if I were you."

"Are they gonna do anything about all this...pollution? The city looks awful."

"Well, that's thanks to that factory just north of town. It's where they construct a lot of the new machines for the Game Corners, along with the coins and other stuff that goes with it. They swear that the pollution isn't linked to the factory but no one is really willing to check it out. The Pokemon down by the factory are real strong. I'd stay away if I were you."

And let Celadon remain like this? Not on his watch! "That's okay. I'm sure I can deal with her."

The old man nodded. "Your funeral. Maybe we can get a tough and assertive gym leader in here next time. He might be able to help shape this town up for the better."

Erika's shop lay on the other side of town, in one of the corners, somewhat hidden by the barren trees. If the trees had been healthy, it would have been even tougher to find the place. It resembled more of a large booth with the front of the building completely open with crates outside, filled with flowers. He stepped through the open doorway on the side and noticed an area in front of the crates where a few tables and chairs lay, like that of an outdoor restaurant. He shrugged but as he opened the door, the strongest of scents smacked him in the face. He stumbled back, enough where he could get some fresh air, before realizing that the area around town wasn't much better. "Wow, glad to know she can still make a place smell like-"

"Oh, a customer?"

He turned to see Erika appear in the doorway, dressed in her regular kimono. She raised an eyebrow at him and frowned. "Yea, it's me."

"Oh...just a guy."

He rubbed the back of his head, remembering who he was talking to. "Ahh, my name is Ethan and I was just passing through and noticed how terrible Celadon looks-"

"Yea, it really-your name is Ethan?" She asked, her face looking as if a light-bulb had went on.

"Yep and this is my trusted Pokemon, Wiggler."

Wiggler let out a squeak from behind and Erika's cheeks flushed red. "It's so strange. I swear I've known you before but I don't remember really being friends with any guys."

He laughed. "We've met before but I've been away for a while. I'm sure quite a few people have forgotten me. I remember you being the gym leader though."

"Oh...that. Well, it's a bit embarrassing to talk about but why do you ask?"

He folded his arms. "Celadon City looks like a dump. I remember this city being such a cleaner and livelier place, filled with healthy trees and large bountiful gardens and now it doesn't resemble that place at all. I came here looking for the gym leader because I figure with her help, I might be able to figure out how to return this city back to normal."

She smiled. "Well at least you're direct. I'm not really sure that I can help you."

He frowned. "Why not? There aren't a lot of trainers around anymore so I figured the former gym leader would be able to."

She nodded. "Well...I barely know you...and you're a guy."

"Good point."

He looked over at Wiggler who shared the same puzzled look. He had to get on her good side, somehow. He looked over at the flowers. "So just what do you sell here other than flowers?"

"Ahh, well I also sell tea and special made perfumes from the flowers I grow back in the greenhouse. They are very popular with the girls around here. I have quite a few scents developed. I was just working on one. It's supposed to inspire intense desire from any girls...it's taken quite a while to work on it."

"A love potion."

She shook her head. "No, it's nothing like that. A love potion is just a crude little drink, this is much more sophisticated than that. Trust me."

He and Wiggler shared a look. "Well perhaps we could give it a shot."

Wiggler let out a squeak of shocked but Ethan just winked at him. Knowing his luck, the thing would prove to be a total dud. Erika nodded.

"Well...I guess. Come inside."

He followed her into the inside of the flower shop, doing his best not to pass out from all the powerful fragrances that filled the room. Perhaps alone they might be nice to nose but altogether? It made for a scent that would knock out the strongest Pokemon flat. Amongst the many flowers, he could see a Tangela using its various...limbs to water some of the plants. Her Bellosom floated amongst the hanging plants, singing a cheery little song. "Why is it singing?"

"Talking to flowers is very therapeutic. It helps them grow better and it shows that you care so much for them. You talk to your Pokemon and other animals, who not plants? They are just as special."

"Well...I guess I see your point."

She sat down at a desk, hidden amongst all the plants and flowers. "Do you like grass Pokemon? I believe they are some of the most beautiful Pokemon around. Take Bellosom for instance. I'm sure your Wigglytuff can agree."

Ethan shot Wiggler a look, who shot him a look that disagreed with her opinion. Then again, he was never the biggest fan of grass ever since Vileplume got angry and tried to attack him out of the blue. "Well...he sees your point at least."

She held up a small bottle and then frowned. "That's strange, I thought I put that scent around here. I must have misplaced it..."

Considering her habit of nodding off at random times, he wasn't surprised. "Well perhaps one of your Pokemon misplaced it by accident."

She laughed. "They tend to leave the desk alone. They understand the important things I make here," she said. She held up the small bottle. "And this is one of my special made teas, brewed from several plants, sweetened with the nectar from Bellosom."

Wiggler let out a squeak as she drank some of it. He turned to see Wiggler holding up a bottle labeled tea. His eyes grew wide for a moment and he looked back at Erika. "Ahhh, don't drink that!"

That spooked her, causing her to drink more of it. In fact the whole thing. Opps. He looked back at Wiggler and took the bottle from him. Wiggler let out a squeak and he had to agree. Better to take a step outside and let her recover. "That...tasted a bit odd."

"You drank the wrong thing. I don't know what you drank but it wasn't-"

"It tasted odd but for some reason the taste seems to change every time you drink it. What's that you have?"

"This...is the tea."

"Oh...uh...it's funny, I just never noticed how cute you are," she said as her cheeks turned red. "I guess it's...because you're a guy and all but...hehe."

He looked at Wiggler for help but Wiggler chose to walk out of the shop. "Hey, don't just leave me hanging!"

"It's okay. I don't mind us being alone to talk," she said with a dopey look on her face. Not good. He couldn't stay alone with her in this room, it'd only lead to...well he wasn't sure what it'd lead to but it wouldn't be right with her under the effects of the potion.

The bell on the door rang and he turned to see a couple of girls walk in. He recognized them as a couple of the trainers that used to hang out at her gym. He tipped his cap to them. "Oh hey girls. Don't worry, I was just going outside," he said before excusing himself outside before Erika could respond.

He found Wiggler walking around outside and he let out a sigh of relief. "That was close. Well I guess we won't be able to get her to help us out, huh?"

Wiggler nodded before letting out a yawn. "Oh right, you were getting a bit tired. Okay, hold on."

He took out the Pokeball that belonged to Wiggler and summoned him back to it. He looked at his other Pokeballs and frowned. None of the other Pokemon he had cared much for walking outside of its ball like Wiggler but it'd get pretty lonely being by himself.

While he debated what to do, the door to the flower shop opened and he noticed one of the girls walk over to him. He turned to face her, noticing a Bulbasaur following close behind her. "So you're the guy."

"You say it like it's a bad thing," he said with a laugh. He noticed her frown and decided laughter wasn't a good option for now. "What's the problem."

She pointed a finger at him. "You're the one who drugged Erika, aren't you?"

"Of course not! Why would I do that?"

"Because-"

"Listen, I don't have time for this. I need to get down to that factory and maybe figure out just what is causing all this mess. Celadon shouldn't look like this, it's terrible."

Her angry expression seemed to melt away. "You're concerned about Celadon too?"

He nodded. "Yep. I don't live here but I know the city has looked much better than this. It kind of annoys me that no one else is willing to do anything about it."

"That's because there aren't any strong trainers around. You don't even look that much stronger than me."

He reached into his backpack and pulled out the small case which held all the badges he had earned. He opened it up and showed it to her. She looked at them and laughed. "What, what's the problem?"

"There hasn't been anyone who's beat the the gym leaders in years. Besides there aren't even sixteen gym leaders around right now. How do I know if these are even real or not?"

He closed it and shrugged. "Have it your way. I need to be on my way-"

"You better...make Erika better!"

He looked at her and shook her head. "I didn't drug her, believe me. I don't really know how to return her to normal. I'm sure it'll wear off soon enough-"

"What will wear off soon enough?"

Ethan and the girl turned to see Erika standing in the doorway of the shop. The girl blushed and shot another glare at him. "Oh it's nothing! Nothing at all."

Erika looked a bit dazed and then looked at him. "Oh, I'm glad you're still here. I thought you would leave me here while you got to have all the fun at the factory."

He laughed. "I really didn't think that was fun. I was just going to just check out the factory and see if I can see why the town is like this."

She blushed a little. "Th-then I'm coming too. It's my city and if I can do anything to help out, then I should help out," she said. She giggled a little after that. "And I can spend some time with you."

"Then I'm coming too!" the girl said. Ethan's eyes grew wide but Erika cleared her throat.

"No."

"No?" The girl and Ethan said together. Erika nodded.

"I-I need you to help look after the shop while I'm away. I can't just leave it closed all this time and you're one of the few I can trust with looking after it. Please? Will you look after it for me?"

Wow, even when she was under the effects of the silly potion, she could still make decent decisions. The girl looked at Erika and then at him with a wary eye. He'd just have to get used to that one. The girl seemed to think it over for a little and nodded after awhile. "Okay, I'll do it. For you. Are you sure about this though?"

"I've never been more sure about anything else in my life."

Oh just raise the bar while you were at it. The look he got again from the girl meant he had just become the most hated man in Celadon, outside of whoever had turned the city into a dump.

As populated as Kanto was, a huge area of the region, surrounded by multiple cities had been largely untouched. Known for its large wooded areas, many trainers had come to the area to either catch Pokemon of their own or train the ones they had. Just a bit north of Celadon, the line of trees gave way to a huge clearing. Beyond that, he could see several large factories, lined on one side by a bunch of smokestacks that poured smoke into the air. Several roads led into the area, full of weeds and plants that would grow no other place. Even the Pokemon in the air avoided flying over it. The terrible smell he recognized from Celadon was much stronger here and he had to close his nose for a bit. "This is crazy. I didn't expect something so big and...dirty, that's for sure."

"Yea but the thing is, I'm not sure-"

"And where is that smell coming from? It can't be the factories, I've been around factories before and they never smelled this bad."

Erika laughed. "Actually...I'll show you."

A little further in, he discovered the real reason for the stink, large swamps of muck. Purple and soupy, with a terrible stench coming from the surface. Just like in Celadon, he could see the heads of Grimer and Muk appearing. Some of them stared at them but didn't feel like crawling out to fight, yet. "This is pathetic! How did this happen?"

Erika pursed her lips. "I...don't know really."

Ethan nodded. "They must have dumped some junk here, which attracted the Grimer and Muk. At least...that's a guess since those two Pokemon love that kind off stuff. We should go up and ask them. They just can't let this happen! It's harming Celadon and who knows what happens if it spreads!"

"The Pokemon are a bit strong-"

"I'll beat them. I doubt any of these Pokemon are strong enough for my team! I'll plow through this swamp and walk right up to the door and ask what's the big deal! Celadon shouldn't have to deal with this. I mean, it's not the greatest of plans but maybe if we can show them that Celadon won't stand for this treatment anymore, maybe they'll clean up their act."

He turned to look back at her, who wore the biggest puppy dog look he had ever seen. There was love-struck and then there was plain love-struck. "It's been so long since I've met a trainer so brave...and bold."

He folded his arms. "It's not that rare. I'm sure they're out there."

She stepped a few feet closer to him. "Not here. Many of the trainers here are either too weak or don't seem all that motivated in being trainers. They think of it as just some casual thing they can do on the weekends or something they do when they feel like it. And you..."

"U-u-ummm, well let's just get to the factory!"

How was he supposed to deal with her? Now he kind of wished he had left her back at the shop. Well as long as she behaved and didn't get too crazy, he'd be okay. She gave him a lopsided smile. "Okay, let's do that. I should warn you that there's something-"

Before she could finish, he heard a loud roar and turned to see a huge Muk rise from the muck. It keep rising until it stood at least ten feet high, it's arms reaching at least twice that in wingspan. He stepped back as the Muk swung its arm down, smashing into the ground in front of him. It even splattered him with a little muck and he grumbled. "I hate Muk."

"Ethan...I'm not sure I'll be able to help much. Grass Pokemon are-"

"Weak to Poison, I know. Don't worry, I have a couple Pokemon that can help me out."

He took out the Pokeball holding Crunk and summoned him. The powerful Steelix let out a loud roar and glared at the giant Muk. "Hey Crunk, take out all the other Muk and Grimer in that pond. That way they can't merge with this giant Muk!"

Crunk let out another roar and dove into the pond. He took out another Pokeball and smiled. "And what about this giant Muk?"

"Wiggler."

"But isn't he just a normal Pokemon?"

He looked at her and winked. "Just watch."

He summoned Wiggler to the field, who looked at him and yawned. "Hey, don't give me that look, we've got a big problem to deal with!"

Wiggler looked over at the giant Muk, just as it spewed a large glob of muck at him. Wiggler let out a squeak and rolled out of the way, while the glob landed on the ground. It shook its little fist at the Muk and pointed its little arms at its head. A bright aura appeared around its body and the same thing happened to the giant Muk. A large blast of white light appeared in front of Wiggler and it flew from Wiggler's head and straight into the giant Muk. The Muk let out a loud roar and held its head with its giant hands. "It...has a headache now?" Erika asked.

"That's what it looks like to me. I doubt that one hit will do the trick."

"Yes, Muk can be quite tough."

The Muk let out a groan before gagging and throwing up some sludge on Wiggler. Ethan's eyes grew wide and he tried to stifle a laugh. "I-I think you did your job a bit too well Wigg-"

Before he could finish, Wiggler's face turned red and it let out a string of angry squeaks at the Muk. Ethan stopped trying to laugh and looked at Erika, who looked a bit bewildered. "What's...going on?"

Wiggler continued to bounce up and down, letting out a string of angry squeaks. This had to be the first time in awhile he had seen Wiggler angry. He couldn't say what might happen next. "Well...Wiggler is pretty ticked off. I'm not sure what might happen next but...I may end up feeling sorry for the Muk."

Suddenly the Muk floated out of the pond of muck it had lay in and over to an area of bare ground nearby. Wiggler fired off another angry squeak before preparing to launch another psychic attack. Ethan rubbed his chin for a moment, preferring to watch when Erika spoke up. "Couldn't you...hit it with a ground attack now that its out of its pond?"

"I...yea, that does sound like a good idea! Wiggler, get back over here!"

Wiggler looked at him, while the Muk continued to reel from its migraine. It let out a squeak of protest but Ethan stomped his foot and he came over. Ethan took out another Pokeball and summoned Aries. The Tauros trotted forward, blowing smoke out its nose before looking at him. Ethan smiled. "Aries, see if that giant Muk can survive Fissure!"

Aries trotted over to the giant Muk and lifted onto its back legs before slamming its hooves down into the ground. The entire area began to shake and Ethan had to steady himself to prevent from falling down and felt Erika lean against him for support. A large crevasse formed in the ground, causing the giant Muk to slide into the crevasse, crying out as it fell. It was followed by a blast of white light from the crevasse, propelling the Muk high into the air. It landed with a giant splat. Ethan smiled. "Did it survive?"

He waved her off. "Muk are pretty tough and it doesn't even have any bones. It'll recover soon enough. It's not like there are any Pokemon that would come after a Muk," he said with a laugh.

"Th-that was amazing. You really are a strong trainer!"

He laughed it off. "Oh come on, it wasn't that impressive. You should thank Wiggler for moving that Muk onto dry ground, it allowed me to take it out sooner. It's something I wouldn't have figured out until much later."

He summoned Aries and Wiggler back to their Pokeballs and put them away. He turned back to the pond to check up on Crunk but Erika turned him around to face her. She smiled at him. "You're so modest, I love that about you."

He gave a nervous laugh. "Oh umm, that's great and-"

Before he could finish, she pulled his head forward and planted a kiss on his lips. At first he wasn't sure what to do as it had been quite awhile since he had gotten a kiss, when Crystal had dragged him to the prom but that was about it. Then again that was a kiss more between friends and he hadn't though much about it. He had expected her to have a overpowering scent thanks to how her shop smelled but she instead smelled very nice. She slipped her tongue into his mouth and it felt as if his entire body wanted to shut down, his knees almost buckled but she didn't seem eager to let him slump to the ground just yet. He couldn't breathe and yet he somehow didn't feel terrified by the feeling at all. She pulled away from him and smiled at him. She said something to him but he couldn't hear a single thing she said.

He didn't snap to attention until he felt something hit the back of his leg, hard. He winced, snapping out of his trance. "Hey!"

Crunk let out a roar and he turned to the Steelix, who looked at him from the pond of muck. "Oh sorry Crunk. I was...uhh...never mind. What's up?"

Crunk let out another roar and motioned to the bottom of the pond. "Huh? You discovered something in there? What is it?"

"You can understand him?" Erika asked. He looked at her and smiled.

"Of course! Doesn't every trainer understand their Pokemon?"

She blushed. "Well, not all of them."

He frowned but he'd have to ask her about it later. He looked at Crunk, which let out a few more roars and he raised an eyebrow. "There's some sort of machine down below? What kind of machine?"

Crunk roared his response and Ethan nodded. "So something similar to a pump, with pipes leading somewhere?"

"Pipes? A pump?" Erika asked. "I wonder...if perhaps this is the reason why all the ponds and lakes in Celadon have turned to muck."

"Yea but why would they do that? What's the point? What are they trying to accomplish other than angering people?"

Erika laughed. "I think you're talking to the wrong people."

He nodded. "You're right. Hey Crunk, see if you can get that machine to work in reverse! Then we can go back to Celadon and see if anything has changed."

Crunk let out a roar of approval and dove back into the pond. "So I guess we should go back and see if it worked."

To his surprise, the largest pond in Celadon City had went from being full of muck, to being almost dry. The old man who lived in front of the pond stood at the edge and just shook his head. "It's the strangest thing, I've never seen it happen before."

"So all the muck just vanished?" Ethan asked. The old man nodded. "That's good to know."

"Yes but I don't understand why. And it seems as if there are some strange pipes at the bottom-"

"I wouldn't let it bug you too much. Me and Erika are going to look into it. For now, get some help with cleaning out the rest of that muck and fill this area up with some clean water. Oh and block off those pipes."

The old man looked at him. "Are you some sort of trainer?"

"I am a trainer, can't you tell?"

The old man looked him over. "Well...I guess you could look like some sort of trainer but I'm not sure. I see a few of your kind pass through."

"My kind?"

"The young trainers who come through, feeling they can somehow make a difference and help get this area back to how things used to be, when people were friends with Pokemon and spent time with them. You know, before Team Rocket came in and-"

Ethan laughed, cutting him off. "I'm not some sort of important trainer like that. I'm just doing my own thing."

The old man shook his head and looked past him. "Ahh, Ms Erika, are you sure about this trainer?"

Erika laughed. "I'm quite sure. Leave everything to us."

Ethan folded his arms. "Soooo uh who is the head cheese of those factories? Perhaps we can go to him and ask what the big idea is," he asked. He let out a sigh. "And please don't tell me it's Team Rocket."

"Well...it isn't Team Rocket but the head of the factories is Blaine."

He nodded before the words sunk into his head. "D-d-d-did you say Blaine? As in the Blaine, the gym leader of Cinnabar? That guy?"

The old man and Erika shared a confused look. Boy was this new world messed up or what! "Blaine...has never been the gym leader of Cinnabar. There isn't even a gym on Cinnabar anymore since the volcano-"

"Oh, I just uh thought...never mind," he said with a laugh. "So is Blaine there at the factories or is he hanging somewhere else?"

Erika smiled. "Blaine actually lives in the Pokemon Mansion in Cinnabar. He had it rebuilt after the volcano destroyed the other one. He's pretty attached to Cinnabar. He just never was the gym leader like you thought."

"Well I guess we're off to Cinnabar then!"


	4. The Screwball Special!

Ethan took a deep breath in and winced as he could still smell the hints of sulfur in the air, even though it had been months since the volcano had erupted. Not many buildings even remained on the island except for the Pokemon Center, the mansion and the remains of a building that had somehow survived the eruption. The mansion actually sat on a nearby island, surrounded by a large lawn, with a few trees scattered here and there. A large dock lay on the west side of the island where an expensive looking yacht sat. "Well I guess that means he's probably here."

"Or someone is here at least."

Ethan nodded. The mansion didn't appear very big, about the same size as the former Pokemon Mansion that once sat on Cinnabar Island. He remembered visiting it a few times and it always gave him an uneasy feeling. Wiggler let out a yawn. "Well I guess we are just wasting time standing out here."

Erika sighed. "Isn't it weird that there aren't any guards around? If this is the mansion of Blaine-"

Before she could finish, he heard a few dogs howl in the background. He pulled out the Pokeball holding Juan. "Well, I guess there's our answer. If those are the dogs I'm thinking about, they might make it rough for your grass Pokemon. I'll take care of them!"

"You don't have to-"

"No no, I insist!"

Wiggler let out an amused squeak and he shot him a look. "What? What's wrong with being a gentleman? You should try it one time."

He let Juan out of its ball, just in time for a pair of fire Pokemon to come around. One was a tall and powerful looking Arcanine, along with a Houndoom. Just the kind of Pokemon he expected Blaine to have. The two dogs growled at the pineapple shaped Juan, who didn't seem fazed at all. Ethan pulled out a walkman with some headphones attached and turned them on. Festive music poured out of the headphones and Juan began to jump and dance to the grooves. The two dogs looked on, perhaps a bit confused as to what was going on. "What are you doing E?"

So that was his nickname now? "Well, Juan likes to get into the groove of things by dancing. However it serves another purpose and that is he grows stronger and stronger as he dances. He's already high level as is so you can imagine how tough he can get now."

The two dogs seemed to tire of this and the Arcanine lunged at Juan but Wiggler launched a powerful Aura Sphere attack which not only knocked the Arcanine back on its heels but hit the Houndoom as well. The poor Houndoom let out a yelp and scurried away, at least a good dozen yards to lick its wounds. The Arcanine backed off a bit, seeing as Wiggler was backing up Juan, at least until Juan was done. "You don't even yell commands to them?"

Ethan laughed. "They've been in enough battles where they know what to do. Unless it's something specific, then I take the reins and bark commands if need be."

"That's amazing. I will have to see if my Pokemon are willing to do the same thing."

He looked at her and shrugged. "Pokemon are much smarter than we give them credit for. I bet they would be able to fight a bit without your commands."

She smiled. "You think so?"

He began to answer but before he could, he thought he heard the Arcanine let out a cry. He turned to see the Arcanine sitting in a pool of water, looking drenched from head to toe. Juan let out a cry of joy, while Wiggler just laughed. He heard a growl and saw the Houndoom rushing back into the fray. It leapt at Juan but Juan appeared ready for him. He jumped forward as well and headbutt the Houndoom right on the top of its head. Houndoom let out a yelp as it jumped back but even Juan appeared a bit woozy from the blow. Ethan laughed. "I guess you aren't near as hard-headed as Wiggler!"

Wiggler let out an annoyed squeak and he nodded. "I know, you aren't that hard headed but-"

"Jesse, James, get over here!"

Ethan looked up to see a young man, with short curly brown hair and dressed in a dark blue suit, approach. He kept calling out to the two dogs, whom gave Juan and Wiggly mean looks before walking back over to him. He petted both dogs on the head before glaring at them. "Tell your-"

"What are you two doing here? This is private property! You're lucky those two dogs didn't hurt you."

Ethan laughed. "Yea about that. Is this the mansion of Blaine?"

The young man leveled his eyes at him. "What part of private property don't you understand? You're trespassing and if you don't leave at once, I'm calling the local authorities."

"We need to speak with Blaine."

"I never said that Blaine lives here. You're clearly mistaken."

Ethan folded his arms. "I talked with the people of Celadon and they said that this was his mansion. I also figure he likes fire Pokemon which might explain why the grounds are guarded by a couple of fire dogs."

The man seemed a bit put back by what he knew but he regained his composure and shook his head. "Absolutely not-"

"Fine, we'll just have to expose the fact that his neglect has led to the terrible condition that Celadon is in."

The man smiled at him. "Oh? And what proof do you have?"

"Well...we discovered a pump in one of the ponds filled with muck that was sending it to the ponds and lakes of Celadon," Erika said.

"Yep, we did. We might just have to expose what Blaine's up to...unless he feels like-"

"I'll...take you to him but don't expect him to take to kindly to rowdy trespassers. He might even have to show your pathetic little Pokemon a thing or two."

Ethan smiled at the thought of that. If it came to that, he'd be ready for whatever Blaine threw at him.

The man led them to the back courtyard where a large pool sat, surrounded by a short white fence. A few potted plants dotted the area but the main feature of the courtyard seemed to be the various statues of Pokemon he had around. Ethan expected them to be of a bunch of fire Pokemon but there seemed to be quite a few water, ground and rock Pokemon. He could see a pair of Lapras, a few Starmies and even a Golem. He scratched his head. "I don't get it. Aren't these all Pokemon that can beat fire? Why would he have statues of them here?"

"It's kind of strange. If I wanted to have statues of Pokemon-"

"Those statues all have some sort of significance. They were all Pokemon that belonged to trainers challenging me."

Ethan turned to see Blaine enter the courtyard. He wore a dark red robe and a long wooden cane, though it didn't appear as if he needed it. He chuckled a bit as he rested his hand on the head of a Dugtrio.

"They were all Pokemon? What do you mean by that?" Ethan asked. Blaine adjusted his glasses and smiled.

"I mean they were all Pokemon before I had them encased in iron. They make fine statues, do they not?"

A sick feeling grew in his stomach but he was able to shoot a glare at Blaine. How could he do such a thing? "What is the point of that?"

Blaine shrugged. "I think it serves as a nice warning to trainers who are foolish enough to challenge me. If you don't bring your best stuff, you'll be crushed."

"So...what happens to the poor trainers who lose? You don't...encase them in iron too, right?" Erika asked.

Blaine chuckled. "I can't say. Perhaps I do"

"Listen, we're here to talk to you about what we discovered in Celadon."

Blaine shrugged, "And what did you discover in Celadon exactly?"

"Well...we learned that there was a machine in one of the ponds near your factory that was pumping muck into the ponds and lakes of Celadon."

Blaine raised an eyebrow at that. "Are you accusing me of endangering the lives of the wonderful people of Celadon?"

"I didn't say you were behind it personally but since we discovered this on your property, it only seemed fair to come to you."

Blaine let out a sigh. "So you discovered a machine that was pumping muck into Celadon? That's terrible. Know that I would never authorize the use of a machine like that. If it is there, it's because someone else put it there."

Ethan folded his arms. "So then why are all those ponds of muck around anyways? Couldn't your factory do a better job of not polluting so much?"

"I assure you, we've done the best possible job in preventing any further pollution."

Considering how polluted the area looked as is, he found it hard to believe that it could have been worse. "Not good enough."

"I'm tired of these accusations. If that is all you plan to do-"

"Actually...how about a battle? If I win, then you have to agree to clean up the pollution and help restore Celadon back to its original glory."

Blaine laughed and pointed a bony finger at him. "Ahh now you're speaking a language I can understand. What's in it for me if I win?"

Ethan shrugged. "Well that's up to you-"

"I think you and your Pokemon will serve as a nice addition to my collection of statues. I could use a couple in the corner of the property, by those trees back there."

He didn't even bother looking back there to see where Blaine indicated. "I don't think that will be happening."

Blaine laughed. "We'll see about that. Let me get my Pokemon and then we can commence our fight."

He walked off and Ethan felt Erika tug on his shirt. He looked over at her and smiled. "Are you sure about this?"

"Quite sure! I'm not worried about what Pokemon he has. I've beaten him before and I can do it again."

She shook her head. "But if you lose-"

He shook his head. "Me and my Pokemon are too tough for that. Besides, we aren't just fighting for ourselves but the people of Celadon! We can't let them down!"

She smiled and tapped her chin. "Then...you'll need some pointers."

"Pointers? What do I-"

Wiggler interrupted him with a squeak. He looked down at the Pokemon and it let out another squeak of protest. "What's he saying?"

Ethan laughed and waved her off. "Oh, haha nothing. On second thought, you were saying you had some pointers?"

She nodded. "So...as you know, Blaine is the self proclaimed master of fire Pokemon and he has quite a pedigree to back up that title. His Pokemon are fast and strong for the most part but he likes to rely on moves that make it hard to hit his Pokemon."

"So he wants to use moves like Sand-Attack, Confuse Ray and the like?"

"Yes. He also won't hesitate to poison your Pokemon as well. And since he uses Fire Pokemon, there's a good chance your Pokemon could get burned as well."

Ethan shook his head. "This sounds like fun. I better take him out fast."

She folded her arms. "Which is your fastest?"

He took out the Pokeball holding Aries. "Well that would be Aries. Juan can also become really fast but only when it's raining."

"And he would be effective against Blaine. I think you should use him and use Rain Dance if you can. I've heard how fast Ludicolo can become in the rain and that would be the key."

He laughed. "Blaine will do everything he can to prevent that. I will have to come up with a way to..." he began to say before a thought crept into his head. He smiled and looked at Wiggler. "Hey Wiggs, I hope you're ready to let loose a tune or two."

Wiggler's eyes lit up like only a Wigglytuff's eyes could. "What are you talking about E?"

He winked at her. "You'll see soon enough."

Blaine returned a few minutes later, followed by a young male butler. He carried a shiny silver platter that had six Pokeballs on it. Blaine took one off and grasped it in his hand. "I hope you're ready. I hate it when trainers don't come ready to fight and then bother challenging you to a battle! The nerve of it!"

Ethan shook his head. "I'm ready if you're ready."

Blaine nodded and grabbed another Pokeball. He held them out, summoning a Rapidash and a Houndoom. Both fast Pokemon, but he had expected it. "Okay Wiggler, show them how well you can sing!"

"Sing?"

Wiggler opened its loud mouth and he could only imagine what might come out. If he were lucky, Wiggler would sing a cool and soothing tune that would lure them to sleep but if not, then whatever came out his mouth would keep anyone up for days. To his surprise, a calm and soothing tune came from his lungs. It was the kind of tune a mother would sing to a baby to put it to sleep and as he looked over at the two Pokemon, they thought so as well. The Houndoom let out a yawn before curling into a ball. Blaine laughed. "A nice little trick but I came prepared for attacks like that!"

Wiggler rolled around the two sleeping Pokemon and stood between Blaine and his Pokemon. Blaine shot a glare at it. "So that's how it's going to be?"

"Hey, I can't have you stopping the fun just yet!"

Blaine motioned to his butler, who tossed him another Pokeball. This time he summoned a Charizard. Wiggler let out a squeak of surprise but Ethan knew he'd stand his ground. "Are you sure you can manage all those Pokemon?"

"I don't really have to," Ethan said. He took out another Pokeball and summoned Rai, who looked to be in a bit of pain. "I hope your Charizard is ready!"

Blaine looked a bit puzzled, just as Rai let out a little cry and unleashed a huge lightning bolt at the Charizard. Blaine jumped out of the way as the bolt hit the large dragon. Charizard let out a cry of pain and laid down on the ground. Rai scurried over toward the Charizard and took Wiggler's place. Blaine stroked his chin and stepped back. "It's been a while since I've met a trainer this strong."

"Leaves you kind of speechless?"

"It seems I'll have to bring out the big guns for you. I haven't had to do this in a long time but I think I can make an exception."

He recalled all of the Pokemon he had out on the field and motioned his butler to toss him two Pokeballs, both of which looked like Master Balls to him. If anything, they would hold some strong Pokemon but how strong? A few seconds later, he saw just how strong as an Entei and a Moltres entered the field. His eyes grew wide as Entei swatted both Rai and Wiggler back with ease. Moltres dove at Juan, who rolled away for cover. Blaine laughed. "Most people can barely handle one legendary but how about two?"

"Where in the world did you get two legendaries?"

"If you think I wasted my time capturing them, you're crazy. Are you scared now? You should be, these aren't your normal everyday Pokemon."

He frowned. "I know that. And I'm not afraid."

He looked over at Wiggler. Dealing with two legendaries would be hard enough but if they could get one dealt with, it'd be much easier. He looked over at Erika. "E, I really think you should go after Moltres first! It can fly and I bet it will use that advantage to avoid your attacks."

He couldn't argue with that. He winked at Wiggler and then turned to Juan and Rai. "Hey, you two just hold Moltres and Entei off for now!"

Blaine laughed. "That's the richest strategy I've heard yet! Haha, whatever you have up your sleeve won't save you."

Moltres flew up into the air as Rai approached. He responded with a quick electrical attack, not strong enough to knock it out but enough to show it wasn't an easy fight. Moltres let out a cry of pain before flapping its wings at Rai, sending a small column of fire at it. The column of fire began to spin around Rai, trapping him in a mini wall of fire. "Fire Spin, wonderful. Just wait for it to end Rai! No use trying to get out."

Juan didn't appear to be having much luck with Entei either. He was able to endure Entei's fearsome fire attacks for a time but even the dancing pineapple could tell it was up against something tough. Each breath attack Entei landed, Juan kept getting pushed back, a little each time. If he didn't do something soon, Juan would be in serious trouble. He shook his head and prepared to send out Aries, just as a black portal opened up behind Moltres. Blaine noticed it as well. "Huh, what is that?"

Moltres let out a cry and began to fly away but the large and intimidating claws of Girantina lunged out of the portal and snatched the bird before it could get away. Moltres began to flap its wings harder and harder in an attempt to free itself but to his relief, Girantina refused to yield. Moltres continued to flap harder but a few minutes later, it was dragged into the portal, which closed up. Ethan smiled. "Hey if you can use a couple of legendaries, I only felt it was fair to even the odds just a bit."

Blaine chuckled. "So you have a legendary Pokemon of your own? I'm not familiar with it but I'd love to add it to my collection."

Ethan waved him off. "It's not exactly mine. It doesn't live in a ball either."

"Even better-"

"Shouldn't you be worried about trying to beat me first?" He asked with a smile. Wiggler hopped over and Ethan folded his arms. Usually he would have liked his odds with three on one but this was Entei they were talking about. Entei let out a roar toward the three challengers, clearly not bugged by the odds.

"Entei, go after the Wigglytuff first!"

And here he was thinking Blaine would go after Juan first. Ethan shrugged. Entei lunged at Wiggler but it only bounced away, while letting out the most awful tune possible. Entei growled at the sound of it and did its best to catch Wiggler in its jaws. "It looks a little angry," Erika said. He glanced at her and then smiled.

"Keep it up Wiggler! Belt out the worst tune you can!"

Wiggler's expression lit up and he kept the terrible tune up, causing Entei to chase after him solely, ignoring the other two. "Okay Rai, hit Entei with a paralyzing attack. If we can make sure he doesn't attack as much, the better. And Juan, first try to get Rain Dance up and then keep using Sword Dance."

Entei let out a roar before turning on its heels and lunging at Rai, who let out a cry for help. Entei stomped its paws into the dirt. Several large cracks appeared in the ground and a bright light shone through the cracks. The blast of energy knocked Rai backwards, sending the poor Raichu flying. Ethan's mouth fell open. "E-E-Earth Power? I didn't know Entei could use that!"

"He can't," Erika said. He looked back at her and she frowned. "I don't know how Entei knows it but-"

"Any Pokemon can learn any attack if it puts its mind to it. Or if it has the right kind of training," Blaine said with a chuckle. Ethan pulled out a Full Restore for Rai and began to hurry over.

"Just what kind of training?"

"The worst kind of training," Erika said. Blaine laughed.

"Oh ho, the little princess has some bite. Perhaps you'd like to try your luck against me?"

Ethan cleared his throat. "Hey, I'm not done yet!"

"Oh right, you. Well you better make it quick."

Ethan gave the Full Restore to Rai and then got to his feet. Perhaps it was time for a different strategy, one no one was familiar with, at least in this world. "Okay, if that's what you want, we'll make it real quick. Okay guys, time for the Screwball special!"

"The...what?"

Wiggler let out a squeak before blowing a stream of fire at Entei. The powerful fire lion let out a roar of joy as it bathed in the fire. Juan began to sing and dance, causing the sun to shine brighter than ever. As it did, Wiggler launched more and more fire attacks on it. "E, what are you doing?"

Blaine laughed. "Yes, what are you doing? You realize Entei gets stronger as you use fire attacks on it, right? If you keep doing that, nothing will be able to stand up to it!"

Ethan laughed. "Of course I know that. It's why I'm doing it!"

Blaine shook his head. "That doesn't make a lick of sense. You know he gets stronger by absorbing fire and yet you continue to do it! I wanted to have a good Pokemon battle, not with an idiot!"

By now, he had noticed Entei looking a bit weak. Maybe not weak but it looked like it had eaten just too much and was trying to rest. Blaine didn't seem to notice, too distracted by his wacky change in strategy. "So Blaine, do you think you know your Pokemon pretty well?"

"Entei? Of course! I've had it for years, I would think I would know it pretty well."

Ethan leaned forward. "Really well?"

"Yes, really."

Ethan smiled. "Really really?"

Blaine glared at him. "Is there a point to this stupid little game? Or are you just stalling because you don't have a plan?"

"I have a plan, it's just so great you can't see it!"

Blaine shook his head. "Then-"

Before he could finish, Wiggler let out a squeak, letting him know that Entei was at its limits. He smiled. "So Blaine, do you think Entei could survive a three pronged attack from all three of my Pokemon?"

Blaine waved him off. "Of course, Entei is a legendary Pokemon. It can stand up to a lot more than normal Pokemon can. Attacks that would knock out your Pokemon-"

"Okay, if you're so confident," Ethan said with a smug look plastered on his face. This time Blaine seem to take notice and looked over at Entei and the others. Juan let out a joyful quack as he summoned a rainstorm over the area. Rain began to pour around the Pokemon, something which caused Juan to sing and dance even more than usual. Rai hunched over, charging up for a bit before letting out a cry as he unleashed a huge bolt of lightning on Entei. At the same time, Juan gathered in some air before unleashing a powerful stream of water. The combination of being drenched in water and being hit with a powerful lightning bolt would be enough to put away any Pokemon but Entei still stood, somewhat strong.

"Well, your little gamble-"

"Hey hey, let's not forget about Wiggler here!"

Wiggler held its little hands over a large sphere of energy which seemed to grow bigger and bigger with every second, lighting up the entire area. "Can he even handle such an attack? Haha, that Pokemon is going to knock itself out with its own attack."

Wiggler held up the sphere of energy above its head and let out a squeak before he tossed it at Entei, the force of the attack pushing him backwards. The sphere hit Entei head on and knocked the legendary on its heels. It dug its heels in and appeared to survive the attack, causing Ethan to grit his teeth. Perhaps he should have brought out Aries? If anyone could knock out a legendary with an attack, it'd be him. Entei let out a roar as the sphere vanished and Blained laughed. "Looks like your little attack didn't-"

He stopped talking as Entei let out a groan and slumped to the ground "Or maybe not," Ethan said.

"W-w-what? Impossible! How did you beat Entei? It's a legendary Pokemon, they aren't your-"

"Normal, everyday Pokemon. I know but neither are mine!"

Blaine rubbed his chin and tapped his stick on the ground. "Ahh but there is still Moltres."

"Moltres isn't even here so why should it count? It's as good as defeated so who do you have left?"

Blaine frowned, looking like a cornered dog. Just then another portal opened up nearby. He turned in time to see Giratina set a weary looking Moltres on the ground with a gentleness you wouldn't expect from such a terrifying Pokemon. Blaine stared at the fiery bird and shook his head. "You'd think a legendary would be able to-"

"Moltres was fighting another legendary Pokemon you know," Ethan said with a smile. "So who do you have left?"

Blaine chuckled. "Well...it appears as if you have beaten me, fair and square. Heh, it's been awhile since I've fought a trainer like you, it was a bit...fun."

"And...?"

Blaine nodded. "I'll help clean up Celadon and restore it to its former glory."

Erika leaned in closer and whispered into his ear. "Are you sure we can trust him? I mean, there's no real consequence for him to refuse the deal."

"Don't worry. Besides, I've already shown that I have a team that can beat his entire team and I didn't even have to use all my Pokemon."

"I don't know..."

"We'll be sure to check up on him," Ethan said. He turned to Blaine. "That's good to hear. The people of Celadon will appreciate it."

They returned to Celadon, with Ethan feeling pretty good about himself. Erika wore a concerned look on her face and spun her umbrella on her shoulder as they approached her shop. "I still wonder if he'll do what he said he'd do."

"Stop worrying so much. I'll make sure he follows through. Between me and my Pokemon, we should be able to persuade him if he isn't up to it."

Erika sighed. "So now that your business is done here, where are you off to next?"

Wiggler let out a squeak asking the same thing and he nodded. "Good question. I don't know really. I was thinking about returning to Olivine but since that tropical storm is still hanging around so..."

She cleared her throat. "I mean in general. Or are you just going from town to town helping people out or is there a point to all of it?"

He folded his arms. "Well, I'm kind of hoping with luck that I'll attract the attention of Charon. I hear he's in charge of Team Rocket and I would like to speak with him."

Erika pursed her lips. "About what?"

Wiggler let out a squeak and he shot him a knowing look. He couldn't just come out and say what they were trying to do, she'd just think he was crazy...or something. Yet, he didn't feel like lying either. Erika was a smart girl, she might figure something was up if he did anyway. "Well...it's...complicated."

"Complicated? I'm not sure what that means. You sound like you're hiding something."

He laughed. "Well, not really. I just don't know how to explain the situation without it...sounding super wacky."

She sighed. "Well in the short time I've known you, you are a bit wacky so I'm not sure how super wacky would come across."

"Oh."

"If getting Charon's attention is what you want...then I guess doing what you are doing might-"

"Do it?"

She nodded. "Yes and if you were going to perhaps help with a situation, then I'd suggest Cerulean. They've been busy trying to deal with a notorious pirate who has been causing trouble for the city and the Silph power plant. Her name is Misty and she's about as fiery as they come."

Wiggler let out a squeak of shock at that and he could only share his reaction. "M-Misty is the pirate? She just...doesn't seem like the type."

Erika looked at him with a confused look. "Really? She has the right personality, enjoys being out on the sea and-"

"Oh...never mind. So Cerulean City? I guess we can go check it out, right Wiggler?"

"If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to come along."

It took a few minutes before her comment could register with either of them. When it did, he and Wiggler stared at her in shock for a moment. "H-huh?"

She folded up her umbrella. "I'd like to come along. I haven't seen a trainer like you in a long time and I'd like to know more. And this would also be my way of returning the favor."

"Favor? Oh you mean for Celadon? You don't have to worry about that!"

"I insist."

"Well...ummm, well if you insist, I guess you insist, right Wiggler?"

Wiggler let out a squeak and Ethan frowned. "What do you mean I'm whipped? Stop being silly."


End file.
